Job Growth in New York City Stagnates Amid Welfare Increases

New York City’s job growth has remained stagnant for six years, even as an increasing number of welfare workers are hired to assist the rising influx of immigrants in need. Recent statistics from the office of Comptroller Mark Levine show that payroll figures from August 2024 to August of the following year indicate that all but one sector saw stagnant or declining numbers.

The health and social assistance sector is the only industry demonstrating notable growth.

Research into city employment indicates that the number of civil servants rose from 303,176 in 2023 to 306,248 the following year. However, according to the latest data from the Comptroller’s Office, this figure has barely changed since.

Meanwhile, Chicago is facing its own prolonged struggle with weak job prospects. Earlier this year, the city recorded its worst employment situation since 2009, marking 25 months of lackluster performance. Yet, a recent report noted a modest increase in employment, though perhaps not as significant as expected.

The region’s unemployment rate was 4.5% in December, slightly above the national rate of 4.3%. There’s been a trend of Chicago’s unemployment being lower than the national average since December 2019.

Lamentably, most of the job growth is within government roles, which does little to positively impact the economy as a whole.

Many cities in blue states are experiencing similar dilemmas. For instance, Boston is seeing a significant outflow of its young middle-class residents seeking better opportunities elsewhere. According to podcaster Mike Urban, around 7,500 residents aged 26 to 35 are expected to leave Boston this year alone—a rate five times higher than a decade ago.

Additionally, both Boston and Massachusetts overall are reportedly enduring their fifth consecutive year of job losses. Federal analysis from the Pioneer Institute indicates that Massachusetts is one of only four states, along with D.C., to have fewer private sector jobs than it did before the pandemic.

As of March 2025, the state’s civilian workforce was about 0.74% smaller than in January 2020, resulting in approximately 24,000 private sector jobs being lost. Only Vermont, Hawaii, and D.C. have seen larger declines.

Some Democratic leaders seem to assume they can replace the departing workforce with immigrants, but economist Michael Lind criticized this approach. He referred to it as a “pyramid scheme,” arguing that merely importing low-wage immigrants won’t sufficiently sustain cities like New York and San Francisco.

Lind suggested that pretending to oppose unpopular immigration while simultaneously advocating for more of it reflects a deeper issue in cities managed by Democrats.